Valve



C. W. ALBERTSON March 26, 1940.

VALVE Filed July 13. 1938 Patented Mar. 26, 1940 D STATES PATENT emcee 12 Claims.

This invention pertains to vibratory or wafer valves, and more particularly to means and method .ofn ounting such valves whereby their noise of operation will be minimized.

especially compressors for domestic refrigerating apparatuait is quite common practice to employ thin wafer type valves which flatly overlie a discharge port with their ends yieldingly attached at opposite sides thereof and which respond to fluid pressure with a buckling action. The receding movement of such valves induces either a drumming sound or a sharp click, either of which is quite annoying. By the present arrangement and mode of mounting such valves, they are subject to a warping or lateral tilting action, and upon receding movement, instead of a direct opposition to' fluid pressure and movement in a perpendicular relation to the open port, the valve is caused to close with a lateral progressive squeezing or rolling action which minimizes the noise and materially eases the valve action. To effect such change of motion with its beneficial effect necessitates some variation of the valve mounting connections and their relation to the valve and preparation of the valve seat, which together with the mode of operation of the valve effected thereby comprises the subject matter hereof.

The object of the invention is to improve the means of mounting and the mode of operation of vibrating wafer valves whereby they may not only be economically constructed and installed but will be more efficient in use, uniform in operation, automatic in action, having minimum parts,.and unlikely to get out of repair.

A further and important object of the invention is to provide avalve and mounting therefor by which the noise of operation will be greatly minitected by Letters Patent consists of the features of construction, the parts and combinations thereof, and the mode of operation, or their In the construction of air and gas pumps, and

equivalents, as hereinafter described or illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

Referring to the accompanying drawing; wherein is'shown the preferred but obviously not necessarily the only form of embodiment of the invention, 1* g. 1 is a plan view of a compressor head to which a vibratory wafer valve embodying the present invention has been applied.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view on line 2+2 of Fig. 1. r

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on line 33 of Fig. 1. f

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail plan view partly broken away illustrating the relation 'of the valve .and its mounting means to the controlled port and valve seat.

. Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughout the several views.

In Fig. 1 of the drawing there has been shown, merely for illustrative purpose, the head of a typical compressor unit including a valve seat 2 having therein'a discharge port 3 through which air, gas or other fluid is discharged under pressure. i l

Overlying the port 3 and resting flatly upon the valve seat 2 to which it conforms is a thin, flexible wafer valve 4. Such valves are usually of thin steel, bronze, or of metal alloy of character the fluid being passed under pressuitable for sure through the-port 3. The wafer valve 4 has adjacent to its ends and on opposite sides of the valved port 3 openings 5 through-whichproject mounting studs 6 screw threaded into the valve seat 2. The holes 5 are somewhat larger than the studs 6 thereby permitting a relative sliding or shifting movement of the ends of the valve relative tothe studs as the medial portion of the valve over the port 3 is moved upwardly. Thevalve-is held .yieldingly in contact upon the valve seat 2 by helical spring 1 surrounding the studs .6.

As-thus far described, the construction is conventional or typical of wafer valve installations wherein ordinarily the mounting studs 6 are aligned withthe port 3 with their respective centers on a straight line. Undersuch conditions wherein the wafer or vibratory valve is mounted symmetrically with the port 3, the valve will rise or bow equally at both sidesand will'discharge. in both directions. In its receding movement the valve moves directly perpendicular to the valve seat. l

If one slaps his hand rapidly, forcibly and-db rectly over a bung hole or over the open end of a pipe, there will be produced-a hollow drumming sound, whereas if the slapping action is in an inclined or diagonal direction with a somewhat glancing or wiping effect, the noise will be very much less. This can be demonstrated by slapping ones hands together with either direct opposing impact or with a glancing or wiping contact. Such is the effect achieved in the present invention. To effect the improved result, instead of mounting the studs 3 in direct alignment with the port 3, they are laterally ofiset relative thereto as is shown by the medial offset in the lines 2-2 of Fig. 1 and illustrated more plainly in Fig. 4, wherein the centers of the studs 6 are on:

the line XX, whereas the center of the port 3 is disposed in the parallel line Y-Y. Therefore, the wafer valve l is no longer symmetrical with the port 3 as to its longitudinal axis or center line although stillsymmetrical therewith as to its transverse bisector. This positions the port 3 more closely to one longitudinal margin than the other of the valve and when the under side of the valve is subjected to pressure of fluid issuing from the port 3 the force is exerted unevenly or ununiformly thereon and the valve tends to rise'at one side and if permitted will descend at its opposite margin, In order to permit the medial portion of thevalve to descend at its margin 8 while it rises along its margin 33 under the influence of fluid pressure on the under side thereof, the valve seat 2 is provided with a shallow groove Ill coincident with the margin 8 of the valve. This exertion of fluid pressure in unbalanced or unsymmetrical relation on the under side of the valve tending to raise the margin 9 of the valve to greater degree than the margin 8 efiects a warping action wherein although the ends; of the valve may be held substantially horizontal or in a common plane by the tension springs 7, the medial portion of the valve will tend to twist, as is illustrated in Fig. 3, under such unbalanced or unsymmetrical fluid pressure. While the'more closely adjacent margin ii is raised, the medial portion of the opposite margin 8 is tilted downwardly into the clearance groove IE2. In such action the valve 4 has in effect a fulcrum engagement on the shoulder ii formed by the clearance groove Ill. As the pressure on the under side of the valve is, relieved, the valve already being in contact with the seat 2 adjacent to the inner edge of the clearance groove It? will progressively close into fiat normal relation with the valve seat, the closing movement being progressive from the fulcrum point [I toward the margin 9, during which the depressed medial portion of the margin. 8 will rise from within the clearance groove ii to the plane of the valve seat 2.

While the change over the conventional relation of the valve and its mounting with the port is comparatively small, being merely the ofisetting of the valve and its mounting studs into unsymmetrical relation with the port 3 and the provision of the clearance H for the margin of the valve when depressed, the result, however, is

quite noticeable and beneficial upon the action of the valve and the reduction of noise of operation. Likewise, it is found that the warping of the valve is less injurious than the buckling or arching of the entire valve as occurs when the valve is symmetrically disposed relative to the port in the conventional manner.

From the above description it will be apparent that there is thus provided a device of the character described possessing the particular features of advantage before enumeratedas desirable, but which obviously is susceptible of modification in its form, proportions, detail construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the principle involved or sacrificing any of its advantages.

While in order to comply with the statute the invention has been described in language more or less specific as to structural features, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific features shown, but that the means and construction herein disclosed comprise the preferred form of several modes of putting the invention into effect, and the invention is therefore claimed in any of itsforms or modifications within the legitimate and valid scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A fluid pressure valve construction wherein a flat flexible wafer valve overlies a flat valve seatfhaving therein a port at opposite sides of which the valve is yieldingly attached for flering motion toward and from the valve seat, characterized by disposition of the points'of attachment of the valve at opposite sides of theport in laterally ofiset unaligned-relation with the port, the valve seat having a depressed offset therein into which one margin'of the valve may be depressed upon elevation of the opposite margin thereof by fluid pressure, the construction and arrangement being such that fluid pressurethroughthe port is exerted unsymmetrically upon the valve with respect to its longitudinal axis causing the valve to rise with a warping non-uniform transverse tilting action wherein it is elevated for fluid pressure discharge at one margin only while the opposite margin is depressed beyond said offset.

2. A fluid pressure valve construction wherein a flat thin flexible valve overlies a valve seat having a port the-rein at opposite, sides of which the valve is secured for flexing motion toward and from the valve seat, characterized by disposition of the valve in unsymmetrical relation of the valve and port whereby the port is closer to one margin of the valve than it is to the opposite margin, the construction and arrangement being such that the valve is subjected to fluid pressure issuing from the port in an unbalanced relation by which one margin of the valve is lifted with awarping action in advance of the oppositemargin thereof and the reseating of which is progressive transversely of the valve.

3. A valve construction wherein a thin flat flexible wafer valve overlies a flat valve seat having therein a port beneath the valve at the opposite sides of which the valve issecured to the valve seat, an onset formed in the valve seat, the port being more closely adjacent to one margin of the wafer valve than to the opposite margin thereof which overhangs the oifset formed in the valve seat, the construction and arrangement be-' ing such that under influence of fluid pressure issuing from the port the valve is tilted transversely by elevation of one margin above and depression of the other margin below the plane of the valve seat with the warping action of the medial portion of the valve and deflection of the opposite margins of the valve from'their normal plane to difierent degrees. v

4. A valve construction wherein a thin fiat flexible valve is mounted on a valve seat having therein a port overlaid by the valve, and restraining means for the valve at opposite sides of the port, characterized in that the restraining means are positioned in a line laterally offset relative to the port and are effective to produce a warping Ti disposed in unsymmetrical relation transversely of the valve and the restraining means are disposed in unsymmetrical relation with respect to the port whereby to produce a warping action of the medial portion of the valve under influence of fluid pressure issuing from. the port;

6. A valve construction wherein a thin flat flexible'valveis mounted. on a valve seat having therein a port overlaid by the valve, and restraining means for the valve at opposite sides of the port, characterized in that the centers of the port and a line connecting the restraining means are laterally'offset in a plane parallel with that of the valve when. closed and in such relation as to producea warping action of .the medial por-,

tion of the valve under influence of fluid pressure issuing from the port.

7. A valve construction wherein a thin flatz flexible valve is mounted on a valve seat having therein a port overlaid by the valve, andrestraining means for the'valve at opposite sides of the under influence of fluid pressure issuing from port, characterized in that the centers of the port and the restraining means arerespectively disposed in different parallelrelatively spaced lines, andwherein one'of said relatively spaced parallel lines'is the longitudinal axis of the valve,

thecenters of the port and the restraining means being so relatively positioned as to produce a warping action of the medial portion of the valve the port. I

raised and a relative position of the port and the I 1 valve restraining means such asto produce a 'warping action of the medial portionof the valve under influence of fluid pressure issuing from the port.

9. A valve construction wherein a thin fiatflexible valve is mounted on a valve seat having therein a port overlaid by thevvalve, and restraining means for the valve at opposite sides of the port, characterized by a longitudinal rul crum bearing for the valve adjacent one margin thereof upon which a medial portion of the valve may tilt transversely by elevation of one longitudinal margin and descent of the opposite longitudinalmargin under influence of pressure of fluid issuing from the port and the relative position of the port and the valve restraining means such as to produce a warping action of the medial portion of the valve under influence'of the issuing fluid. v

10. The herein described method of Valve oper ation including restraining the opposite ends of a thin flat flexible valve and subjecting the under side thereof to fluid pressure in an unbalanced relation with respect to the center line of the restraining means whereby the medial portion of the valve is warped by elevation ofone' margin thereof to materially greater degree than the opposite margin thereof.

ll. The herein described method of valve operation including restraining the opposite ends of a thin flat flexible valve and subjecting the under side thereof to fluid pressure in unsymmetrical relation therewith and thereby causing a warping action of the medial portion of the valve wherein the opposite longitudinal margins of the valve are deflectedfrom their normal plane to different degree. 1

12. The herein described method of valve operation including restraining the opposite ends of a thin flat'flexible valve and subjecting vthe under.

side thereof to fluid pressure in unsymmetrical relation therewith and thereby causing a warping action of the medial portion of the valve wherein the opposite longitudinal margins of the valve are deflected in opposite directions from their normal plane.

I CARL W. ALBERTSON. 

